KU women crowned Big 12 indoor T & F champions

Tuesday

Feb 26, 2013 at 5:00 PM

The University of Kansas women’s track & field team claimed the 2013 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field team title after collecting a total of 150.5 points at the two-day meet held inside the Lied Recreation Center.

Times Sports Report

Ames, Iowa – The University of Kansas women’s track & field team claimed the 2013 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field team title after collecting a total of 150.5 points at the two-day meet held inside the Lied Recreation Center. The championship is the first conference title in the program’s history and the first for any KU team – men’s or women’s – since the Kansas men won the Big Eight indoor title in 1983. The KU men ended Sunday’s meet with a sixth-place finish after tallying 74.5 points.

“Everyone did a great job today,” said 13-year head coach Stanley Redwine. “We knew it would take a total team effort and that’s what happened for us. This is just a result of a lot of effort paying off. The coaches have done a great job helping the kids. The athletes have stepped up. We’ve been working hard and now all that work has finally paid off.”

Entering the day, the KU women held a commanding lead in the team standings, sitting in first with 67 points. The Jayhawks would never relinquish the lead, collecting 83.5 points on the shoulders of three more individual winners on the final day to earn their first conference championship.

To begin the historical afternoon, Andrea Geubelle looked to retain her title as the conference’s top triple jumper. Geubelle went on to claim her second-consecutive indoor triple jump championship and gave her team an additional 10 points to start the Jayhawks off on the right foot on the meet’s final day.

Junior Diamond Dixon returned to her gold-medal form as she also defended her Big 12 title in the 400 meters.

In the final Dixon used her signature strong final kick to outpac the field down the final 50 meters to earn the victory. The junior clocked in with a season-best time of 52.52 for the win, the fifth-fastest in the NCAA this season.

Paris Daniels made school history Sunday as she became the first Jayhawk to win the 200 meters at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Daniels assured he name remain at the top of the scoreboard as she held off charges from Texas’ two star sprinters down the final 100 meters. She leaned over the finish in 23.29 to earn the gold medal and retain the 200-meter title after winning the outdoor 200 meters a year ago.

In the final event of the night, the women’s team needed the 4x400-meter relay team of Morris, Daniels, Taylor Washington and Dixon to finish sixth or better to clinch the team title. The team, who was the reigning conference champions in the event, ran its fastest relay of the season, clocking in at 3:37.73 for a fourth-place finish. The finish gave their team five points and just enough to outscore Texas in the final overall standings by just two points.